CHENNAI: As Ayush Shetty, with pure grit and exceptional skills, was gradually making history in China on Saturday, his parents were staying away from live action. It was a conscious choice on their part. Call it premonition or superstition, that has become a norm for the family ever since he started playing international events. Instead, they were just doing their prayers and hoping for the best.
"We don't watch his live matches. Whatever matches are on, we just pray to God and sit. We never watch live matches. We watch the highlights later. This mostly started after he started playing international events. We didn't watch him during his World Junior Championships too. We watched the highlights," Shalmili Shetty, his mother, told The New Indian Express.
"The academy (Centre of Excellence, where Ayush trains) also always asks us 'you want to watch, you want to travel with him'," she said.
Shalmili's prayers were answered on the day. Ayush played like a man possessed to enter the history books in the ongoing Asian Championships in Ningbo on Saturday. Most of his smashes were on point. With dogged determination (something that is ingrained in him ever since he was a kid), the 20-year-old was putting his body on the line, making some mind-bending returns. By the time the semifinal contest reached the business end, the usually-assured Kunlavut Vitidsarn — his opponent on the day — could be seen scrambling to stay alive. The World No 1 Vitidsarn literally tried every trick in the book to stop Shetty's momentum, but the latter was simply undeniable. After a captivating 75-minute contest, Ayush came out on top, winning 10-21, 21-19, 21-17.
Needless to say, this is monumental. He is now the first from the country to reach the final (men's singles) of the continental meet since 1965.
"Just can't express what's going through today. Really happy, He was facing World No 1, it's definitely a huge win," Shalmili, who's a homemaker, said.
It's certainly a momentous occasion for Shalmili and her husband Ramprakash Shetty too, who have been pillars in Ayush's thriving career. His dad used to play the sport for amusement and Ayush had gotten hooked to the sport watching him play. But coming from Karkala, Udupi, dreaming about the sport as a career was unrealistic, especially when Ayush chose the sport.
Sensing their son's enthusiasm, the duo decided to take him to Bengaluru in a professional setup. It was a massive decision as Ayush was good in academics too. Moving to a different environment came with its own set of challenges. Shalmili had to move away from the comforts of peaceful Karkala to bustling Bengaluru along with her daughter Aadhya, who was just three then. Ramprakash, the breadwinner in the family, had to stay put in Udupi in order to manage his business. That was the setting in their family for at least four years before Ayush welcomed hostel life.
"Shifting all of a sudden to new space, new environment and I had the responsibility of two kids. So it was huge for me. Taking him to early morning sessions. My daughter was just three then. It was quite difficult during the initial stages. For my husband also to stay here alone, to manage food etc was quite challenging," she recalled.
Parents and coaches have certainly sacrificed a great deal, giving him the license to dream big. Ayush, on his part, has also followed the game like an obsession. According to his mother, he has always possessed dogged determination and he has always set tall standards for himself. Interestingly, his mother said he was good at chess too, something he could have excelled at had he not taken up badminton.
"There were phases when he was not doing well. He was not so mature then. For him, it was always like 'I want to be on top'. That was there from Day 1. He had that determination. That is the reason we shifted to Bengaluru. Even after 10th, we were a little confused as to whether to continue with badminton or not as he was quite good in studies as well. He used to be the class topper. He used to tell us, 'I'll prove and show you I'll be doing something great in badminton'. Given what he said, we thought 'let's give him a chance'."
From junior level to senior level, Shetty, with every new experience, has been leaving his imprint on the sport over the years, making that 'chance' count. The former World Junior Championships bronze medallist, who trains at Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru, has been pushing his limits in his pursuit for excellence.
"He is on zero-sugar diet. It's been two years now. He is fond of non-vegetarian food and we would cook fried stuff quite often at home. But now, he stays off fried stuff totally. He only eats sometimes when all his tournaments are over, when he visits home," Shalmili said, accompanied with a grin.
"He never misses training sessions. He'll be away from home for a year or so. We go and visit him. When we ask him to come for a few days, he'll be saying, 'now, I'll have to waste a few of training'. Even when he was young, when I was also in Bengaluru, he had early morning training sessions. Sometimes I even used to feel lazy to get up so early. It was especially really difficult during winters in Bengaluru but he never used to miss a session. Even if he used to travel, he used to go for early morning sessions and go. He just felt happy that he had done something productive."
That hard work and determination to push to the extreme is paying dividends now. On Sunday, Ayush, who generally likes to keep to himself, could be garnering plenty of attention. It will be chance for the youngster to leave a lasting legacy.